What’s in a NAME?

Naubinway

Naubinway, originally a French and Ojibwa fishing village, is said to have been officially named in 1873 (although in 1882 William Boucha filed a plat of the area, calling it the "Village of Boucha," but this did not take).

Although all sources agree that it has an Ojibwa origin, no one quite agrees on its meaning. Michigan Place Names by Walter Romig says it means "Place of Echoes." Indian Names in Michigan by Virgil J. Vogel suggests it was named after Naubunway, or Aubunway, a local chief whose name means "skin of a male quadruped" or "summer" or "death" or "sucker." Finally, several online dictionaries (including Wiktionary.org) believe the meaning derives from "nawbin" meaning "to look or gaze in wonderment."